About

Hey,

I’m a college student whose goal is to become an awesome West Coast Swing Lead. This is a blog to document my journey and everything I learn. I will be sharing my thoughts on West Coast Swing, on learning to dance in general and how i approach this daunting task.

I’m a Music Major at Dartmouth College (and am currently working on a second major in economy). I have been classically trained in piano since the age of 5. Since then, i’ve played the piano constantly until about a year or two ago when i burnt out after auditioning for one of the top Music universities in the world (University of Music in Vienna, conservatory). That’s when i stumbled on dance. I innocently walked into a contradance class and had a blast. I subsequently fell into Salsa and dedicated about half a year to my improvement of Salsa while i meagerly dabbled in West Coast Swing.

I started Swing dancing seriously after attending an amazing Boston Tea Party 2010 and being so inspired by seeing all the Pros dance. However, dancing like a pro is very different than watching a pro. After dipping my foot in Jack and Jill competitions and attending many many workshops as well as purchasing DVD’s and learning from some of the best, i made a decision to become a good Swing Leader. Why? To make that girl smile. The best dance is a conversation, and it’s that moment in the dance when she genuinely smiles that lights up my day. Whether they come back for another dance or not, (though they usually do) my job is fulfilled as a leader of this awesome dance.

So my purpose is not to become one of the pros, but rather to enjoy dancing and make my partner in ever dance share in that and hopefully find a way to make a living out of something i enjoy so very much.